Gryffindor Boys
by bucktooth22
Summary: Draco is sorted into Gryffindor. What does this mean for his relationship with his very traditional parents? What does this mean for his budding friendships? What does this mean for his relationship with Harry? Drarry
1. Sorting

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Draco sat on the stool, smirk on his pale features as he glared at the other students being inducted. The hat sank over his eyes and he felt it flipping through his memories. It knew he was shaking with fear, despite his outward appearance. A moment went by before the word was shouted, the hat lifted and his feet popped him off the stool. He blinked. His ears were ringing. The mix of stunned silence and unenthusiastic clapping rang in his ears. They filled like they were full of cotton. His eyes stung and his throat felt tight. A hand touched his back, McGonagall nodded towards his assigned table, his new family, whether they wanted him or not. His feet felt heavy and uncoordinated as they seemed to trip over themselves. He got to his seat and put his head in his hands trying to keep his breathing even and his tears from falling. A hand clapped him on the back and he looked up into a face he'd been sneering into moments before. Glasses and messy black hair, but the smile...it was friendly. Not mocking or unwelcome, just a normal smile.


	2. Mornings

Draco didn't go home on weekends. He knew his dad would be mad, his mom would have that disappointed look on her face, they'd say we still love you like he was some kind of mistake. He wasn't ready. Harry was always there during weekends, though he hadn't told Draco why yet. Ron and Hermione had gone to their respective homes as it was a three day weekend. Draco was sitting with his feet up pondering his homework when Harry came down the stairs still in his pajamas.

"Why are you up so early?" Harry asked coming to sit next to Draco.

"I have to get good grades. If I'm going to be here I might as well be good at everything else." Draco looked soft. Like he was a little sad, but keeping it in.

"I sleep in whenever I can." Harry laughed. "They don't let me back home."

"Why not?" Draco looked up at Harry.

"Who'd make breakfast?" Harry laughed. Draco's brow furrowed and Harry thought a moment. "My aunt and uncle are muggles, and I'm the house elf. Think of it that way." Harry said. Draco realized Harry thought he was confused. Not confused, just concerned. He put his homework aside and sat in silence a while with Harry. He felt overdressed with the still sleepy pajama clad boy beside him. His eyes moved to the window, he'd gotten dressed like he was going outside, sweater and jeans, but he had no plans to do so. He wondered if Harry would want to hang out all day, he did, after all, have homework to do. He could offer to help Harry, the boy usually waited until the latest time to do it. But when he turned, mouth open to offer, he found Harry had fallen asleep. His head was on the arm rest of the large maroon fabric that covered the couch. The warm fire must've been to enticing, the couch too soft. Draco smiled. Harry's mess of hair looked like he hadn't brushed it in a week, and his mouth was slightly parted. He looked at ease. Sometimes if the people who concern themselves with relationships got in arguments he'd notice Harry shrink into himself, eyes flicking about the room. He'd flinch so terribly when someone would slam a door, and clench and unclench his fists as he stared with wide frightened eyes at the closed door. When he thought of these things his worries of his parents seemed so insignificant. He was happy knowing Harry was comfortable enough with him, and trusted him enough to be so vulnerable beside him. Draco went to get a blanket to cover him.


	3. Homework

Harry woke a while later with a blanket on him, he wiped his mouth and looked over at Draco who was smiling to himself as he scribbled on his parchment. Had he been doing homework this whole time? How long had he been asleep? He looked at the window, still daytime. "What class is that for?" Harry asked sitting up and rubbing his neck. That was not a good position to sleep in.

"History of Magic." Draco said not looking up.

"We had homework?" Harry looked surprised.

"Yes." Draco laughed. Oh to be so carefree. Schoolwork was too important, grades were too important to be so frivolous with his attention.

"What on?"

"One of the goblin rebellions." Draco said.

"When's it due?" Harry asked rubbing his eyes.

"Next class."

"That's Thursday." Harry frowned.

"Yes." Draco nodded.

"And you're doing it on Saturday."

"Yes." Draco laughed.

"You and Hermione." Harry shook his head. Harry poked the fire for a bit, seeming amused by watching the embers flare up. "Do we have anything due tomorrow?" Harry asked.

"A star chart for astronomy." Draco said thinking for a moment. He couldn't think of anything else. Harry groaned unhappily.

"Did you do it?" He asked.

"Of course." Draco laughed. "And no you can't copy it."

"I wasn't going to ask!" Harry huffed. He was going to ask. "Can you help me with it?"

"We can go to the tower tonight." Draco sighed as if he was inconvenienced. He was excited to go to the astronomy tower. It was so high and you could see the stars so clearly. It was beautiful.

"How much more do you have for this?" Harry asked tapping the parchment he was writing on.

"Why?" Draco asked.

"I wanna go outside." Harry said flopping back against the couch and looking to the window.

"Go." Draco smiled.

"I want you to come with me." Harry huffed. Draco knew Harry didn't like doing things alone. He was curious why Harry prefered having people around so often, it was much nicer, Draco thought, to be left alone in the quiet. But he could make an exception for Harry.

"I'm almost done." Draco said indulgently. Harry beamed, and said he'd go change. He wasn't almost done, but he could finish it later.


	4. Granted

Draco wanted to go to the library, he had a book to return, and an idea of what he wanted next. He also wanted to finish his homework so he could relax with said book. He wanted to sit by the fire inside, with a mug of hot cocoa. He wanted to write his parents and tell his mum about the new friends he'd made. Maybe if they knew he'd ingratiated himself to the famous Harry Potter they'd smile when he came home. So why then, was he outside in the cold walking to the house of the grounds keeper? The boy in front of him grinned over his shoulder. That's why. He did not smile back. They got to the door and Harry knocked. The large hairy man answered, welcoming them inside with a smile and offers of cocoa from a pot over the fire. He poured the two cocoa in mugs that looked more like soup bowls, handing it to them as they took their seats.

"How're yer classes goin?" Hagrid asked.

"I like defense against the dark arts, and transfiguration, but the rest are pretty boring." Harry said. They both looked at Draco. He didn't realize he was included in the question.

"I like astronomy." Draco said in a small voice.

"Astronomy?" Hagrid smiled and nodded before moving to a slightly off kilter table and moving some stuff to pull a book out. "Dumbledore lent me this a while back, ye can borrow it if ya like." Hagrid said handing Draco a very large text about how the moon and star cycles affected various magical creatures. "It's third year stuff, but I hear yer tied for first in yer year so ya should be fine." Draco tried to hide his smile, but saw Harry looking.

"Thank you." Draco said in a tiny voice. Hagrid beamed.


	5. Help

Draco walked with Harry up to the astronomy tower. It was chilly, Draco wished he'd brought a coat. They worked together with Draco offering small suggestions on things to include, but mostly leaving it up to Harry. He was pointing at something on the chart when Harry noticed his hands shivering. "If you're cold we can go back." Harry said looking at Draco with a genuine expression. A dash of concern, a bit of searching, a look of earnestness.

"I like it up here so it's okay." Draco smiled. Harry huffed, taking his hoodie and putting it around Draco, leaving him in just a long sleeve tee-shirt.

"If you get sick, no one will help me with astronomy." Harry let out a hybrid noise half laugh half huff. Draco smiled. They finished up and went back, going to sit by the fire in the common room to warm up.

"Harry why don't you go home on weekends?" Draco asked, still wearing the other boy's sweatshirt. It was several sizes too big for the boy, clearly not meant for him, and well worn.

"I am home." Harry said looking away from him.

"Is it your aunt and uncle?" Draco asked. "Do they hit you?"

"Why don't you want to go home? Do your parents hit you?" Harry snapped back, anger flashing in his eyes. Harry hadn't brought this up, so Draco had never offered, but it wasn't like he was hiding it.

"I'm not ready to talk to my parents. They were so dead set on me being in Slytherin." Draco looked sad, and Harry felt bad for being so rude. He really was useless. He looked back to the fire. Why did he snap like that? He didn't mean to.

"You don't have to talk about it to me if you don't want to, but I just wanted you to know I'm here when you're ready." Draco said in a gentle voice like Harry was some breakable piece of glass. Draco didn't want to be too rough or he'd shatter Harry more, maybe cut himself on a leftover shard. Harry didn't want to be like that. He felt bad, he wanted to reach out and tell Draco everything, answer all his questions, but what if that hurt Draco too? Draco lingered a bit before going up to their room.

"Useless." Harry hissed at the fire.


	6. Nightmare

Draco let himself drown in homework that week, it was nice sometimes to not have to worry about other people, not talk, just read and write and study. His thoughts occasionally meandered to Harry, his look of anger, his smile, his sweatshirt that Draco still had. Sometimes his thoughts fell into his parents, he should write them a letter, tell them he was coming home soon. He wasn't ready, but he had to do it sometime. Next long weekend. He'd made up his mind. Thinking about it gave him stress, so he tried not to. Hence the drowning. Not a bad drowning, he was a willing participant, letting the smell of parchment and ink fill his lungs. He was up late working on a project when he heard someone moving. He got up and went to look, didn't see anyone in the room, didn't see anyone in the hall, knocked on the bathroom door. No answer, but the door was closed. He pressed his ear to it and heard water. Was someone taking a bath so late? He knocked louder.

"Occupied." A voice answered.

"Potter?" Draco asked.

"Malfoy?" The voice answered.

"Can I come in?" Draco asked. He felt his face heat at the thought, but Harry probably wouldn't see it as anything other than a friend checking on him. Oblivious.

"Sure, do you have to pee or something?" Harry asked. Draco peeked his head in. Harry was sitting in the tub, water pooled around his ankles and butt but not enough to bathe in.

"No, just checking to make sure everything's okay. It's pretty late to be taking a bath." Draco said closing the door behind him. Harry still had his boxers on.

"Sorry." Harry laughed apologetically. "Did I wake you?"

"No I was up." Draco sat on the floor beside the tub.

"I had a nightmare." Harry said looking into the water. "This just felt like the right thing to do."

"Hot baths make me feel better too." Draco nodded.

"It's cold." Harry laughed.

"Potter! Why?" Draco huffed upset, he got a towel and motioned for Harry to get out.

"It's what I'm used to." Harry shrugged, stepping out and accepting the towel with a smile. Draco frowned.

"You should take a hot bath to relax." Draco said feeling like he was scolding a puppy that would neither heed nor understand his advice.

"Next time." Harry chuckled.

"Next time get me and I'll run you a hot bath and we can talk about it." Draco said taking the towel to dry Harry's hair.

"Why?" Harry looked confused.

"You should talk about bad dreams or else they'll keep coming back." Draco said. It was something his mother told him when he was very small. It was probably just a trick to get him to tell, but maybe it'd help.

"Do you want to know about this one?" He asked looking at Draco with curious eyes.

"If you'd like to tell me." Draco smiled patiently. He shouldn't push or Harry would stop talking to him.

"I was in the cupboard under the stairs, the door was latched so I couldn't get out. But there was a woman screaming. I tried to get out to get to her, but the Dursleys just kept pushing me back in and latching the door. Dudley stomped on the stairs above me and the wood made creaking noises like it was going to break." Harry recounted with a hollow look in his eyes.

"How much of that is taken from reality?" Draco asked in a gentle voice. The voice he used when Harry told him anything from the Dursleys.

"My bed is in the cupboard, and they lock me in fairly often, Dudley stomps and it sends sawdust down onto me, but the woman screaming...I remember it from something but I don't remember where." Harry ran a hand through his hair, his eyes moving as if searching for something.

"Potter-" Draco had wide eyes, full of concern and fear and pain. Had Harry done that? He didn't mean to. He should've kept it to himself. But then Draco yanked him into a hug. Hearing his name in Draco's mouth was weird. His voice didn't sound like how it did usually. It was pained. No longer afraid of hurting, no longer gentle, he sounded like some damage had been done to him, and he intended to right it. Apparently the first step was hugging Harry very tightly. How had Draco not put the pieces together? How had he not seen sooner? How had he been worried about his own parents when Harry was experiencing this? His parents were dead, his guardians abusive, and Draco was concerning himself with disappointment. He felt like scum. When he was content with the amount of hugging, he let Harry go.

"It's okay, it's what I'm used to." Harry smiled weakly. Draco wanted to hug him again, but that felt like maybe too much.

"I'm going home next long weekend, come with me." Draco said.

"You don't need to do that." Harry said looking like it was too much.

"Think of it as me being selfish. My parents can't get mad at me if we have guests." Draco said. He was already thinking of all the ways he intended to spoil Harry.

"As long as I'm not an imposition." Harry looked nervous. Draco was imagining introducing Harry Potter, legendary survivor, as his boyfriend. He smiled and walked Harry to bed.

"If you have any more dreams wake me up, okay?" Draco said.

"It's okay, really." Harry smiled.

"Promise." Draco frowned.

"Okay I'll wake you up." Harry smiled like he'd been given some fancy gift.


	7. Home

Draco and Harry sat on the train in silence, watching through the window as the world sped by in a blur. When they got to the platform there was a driver to pick them up and take them to the Malfoy residence. Lucius, Draco's father was not present upon their arrival, but Narcissa, Draco's mother was. She was happy to have her son home, and gave him a hug and kissed his forehead. He grumbled, and she apologized for embarrassing him. She took them to the store, per Draco's request and got Harry a nice new sweatshirt, ate at a fancy restaurant, and got him some books about quidditch. Draco also got Harry a few shirts and pants that he intended to sneak into his back when they were back at the house. He didn't want to spoil him too much, he didn't want Harry to be overwhelmed. When they got home they had their house elf Dobby put their things away and Draco told him to hide the new clothes in Harry's bag.

"What is Dobby?" Harry asked as Draco took him to the room he would be staying in, complete with large bed, bay window, and a small seating area.

"He's our house elf. A servant." Draco said.

"How much is he paid?" Harry asked.

"He's not, he's a house elf." Draco laughed. Harry looked confused by this. "Dobby." Draco called. The tiny creature appeared, wringing its hands.

"This is Harry. He's our guest"

"Yes Sire." Dobby bowed his head.

"I think I'm just going to lie down for a bit." Harry said.

"Okay, I'll be just down the hall if you need anything." Draco said leaving. Harry looked at Dobby and sat on the bed.

"They don't pay you?" Harry asked.

"No Sire. A house elf lives to serve." Dobby said.

"Come sit." Harry pat the bed beside him.

"Never has Dobby been asked to sit with a wizard. Like an e-e-equal." Dobby looked frightened.

"We are Dobby." Harry smiled. Dobby made a pained noise and then began hitting his head on the foot of the bed. "Why are you doing that? Stop!" Harry said urgently. They had a short conversation, in which Harry told Dobby he also works around the house and is treated poorly and not paid. Dobby almost said something agreeing but began hitting his head again, saying he was not allowed to speak ill of his masters. Harry promised to ask for Dobby's freedom to which Dobby cried loudly, wiped his nose on the rag he wore, and banged his head into the dresser, all the while thanking Harry over and over. Harry took a short nap, the events of the day had exhausted him, and then joined Draco for dinner with his parents. Lucius asked Harry a lot of questions, and Harry tried to keep up. He'd been to Ron's family's house once and it was similar in that there was never a moment to think, but Ron's father's questions were about muggle things and were silly. Lucius's questions were about his home, what he remembered of his parents, how his classes were going, what Harry assumed were normal parent questions. After dinner Draco and Harry went to Draco's room to do homework.

"Why do house elves have to do everything you say?" Harry asked.

"They have to. At least they have to do anything their master says." Draco shrugged.

"And how is one...freed?" Harry asked.

"Are you trying to take Dobby?" Draco asked, brow furrowing.

"If I said yes would you help me?" Harry asked.

"My father is already so cross…"Draco looked hesitant.

"I just know the feeling. Doing all the housework and making all the food and being treated poorly despite it." Harry looked away, feeling embarrassed.

"Ok." Draco put a hand on Harry's. "I'll help you." Harry smiled at him.


	8. Employed

Draco and Harry sat on the train back to the castle with matching smiles. Draco had received a very stern talking to from his very cross father, but Harry insisted on taking some of the blame so Lucius wasn't as harsh as he normally would have been. But they were successful, and Dobby sat next to Harry shaking from excitement.

"I'll get you some proper clothes when we get home." Harry said to Dobby. Draco thought it funny that Harry would get proper clothes for a house elf and not himself. When they got back to the castle the three went to Dumbledore to plead the case of the house elf, and after successfully employing Dobby for one Galleon per week, the two went to their dorm.

"Thanks Draco." Harry sat on the edge of his bed with a wistful smile.

"Of course." Draco beamed.

"Not just for helping Dobby, but for everything."

"I'm glad you had fun." Draco said as the two got in their respective beds.

"Don't think I didn't notice you got me clothes." Harry said.

"Goodnight Potter." Draco smiled.


	9. Confession

Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Draco sat in the common room working on the essay set for them together. Ron and Harry had a lot of questions, which Draco and Hermione helped answer, when they were finally done they went to the kitchens to visit Dobby. Then Harry and Draco went to the astronomy tower while Ron and Hermione went back to the dorm. "You always forget a sweatshirt when we come up here." Harry chide, taking off his sweatshirt and putting it on Draco.

"Maybe I just want to steal your sweatshirt." Draco laughed. It's wasn't untrue.

"You can just keep one of the ones you got me." Harry said.

"Maybe I want it because it's yours." Draco looked out at the grounds.

"You can keep it and call it mine. Or we can split custody." Harry laughed.

"It smells like you." Draco said, looking at Harry.

"Sorry." Harry rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"I like you." Draco's subtle hints were not breaking through Harry's thick skull so he went with something more direct.

"I like you too." Harry smiled.

"No Harry, I like you romantically." Draco looked back out at the grounds.

"Oh." Harry also looked out at the grounds. "Why?" Harry asked as if befuddled. Knowing him, he probably was.

"You're kind." Draco said. "And hansom, and funny."

"I see." Harry said.

"Do you hate me now?" Draco asked.

"Not hate." Harry laughed. "I guess it's just unexpected. I liked you, but I assumed you'd never like me back so I was content with our friendship."

"Really?" Draco looked hopeful.

"I think I'll need a little time to process, but maybe this weekend, do you want to...do something?" Harry seemed nervous.

"Like go on a date?" Draco laughed.

"Yeah." Harry nodded.

"I'd like that." Draco smiled.

"Alright then, it's a date." Harry smiled.

"Date." Draco repeated, beaming up at the stars.


End file.
